Monday, December 12, 2016

Many stalls and
stores in Divisoria sprout fake pine trees and sparkle with boxes and boxes of
glittery trimmings and Christmas decors, and the volume of shoppers expectedly
swells this Christmas season. This area in the district of Tondo in Manila is a
well-known shopping and commercial Mecca with numerous stores, shopping
centers, makeshift stalls and bazaars spilling into each other it looks like
one sprawl of a market. It is where one can almost everything, and haggling is
the most popular mode of transaction.

Divisoria’s
being a commercial center most likely started in the 16th or 17th century,
during the Spanish colonial years, when Chinese merchants, shut out from the
walled area of Intramuros, started doing business here and in adjacent Binondo.
It grew to be an important trading center that the Main Station of the Manila
Railroad Company was built here in 1887 and started operation in 1892. Trains
went from Divisoria to Dagupan in Pangasinan, and vice versa. The train service
is defunct now and the station was transformed into a shopping center, but
Divisoria continues to be a bustling commercial area although afflicted with
urban decay and squalor. Four hulking malls now rise among the entanglements of
stalls and stores. One of them is the Tutuban Center, along Claro M. Recto
Avenue, which now operates the mall which was once the Main Station.

Twenty hectares
of land owned by the Philippine National Railways is leased to Prime Orion
Group, which developed the Tutuban Center in 1988, utilizing 8.5 hectares for
the buildings. Tutuban Center has become a popular destination over the years
with about fifty thousand people visiting it on weekdays and sixty thousand on
weekends.

“Tutuban is a
twenty-hectare property located right beside the heart of Manila’s trading
district—Divisoria. The property is accessible to popular districts and
landmarks such as Divisoria market, Ongpin, Binondo, Escolta, North and South
Harbors, Quiapo, Intramuros and the University belt,” described Rowena
Tomeldan, Tutuban Properties, Inc. president and vice president and head of
Ayala Malls Group, Ayala Land, Inc.

Early this year,
Ayala Land has become part owner of the shopping complex. It is part of the
Ayala Group of Companies, which has interests in real estate,
telecommunications and tourism, among others, but is known for its chain of
malls. With the entry of Ayala, Tutuban Center undergoes renovations and marks
a milestone, ushering in a kind of renewal for Divisoria itself.

The renovation
work, said Norie Ranial, head of operations of Tutuban Center, “highlighted the
heritage component of the Main Station and enhanced the Prime Block building.”

According to Tomeldan, the renovation works and
building improvements are in partnership with the National Historical
Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).

“The original
Tutuban Station façade and columns built in 1892 have been restored. Some of
the work done were repainting based on the heritage color palette, improving
lighting to highlight its façade details, and preserving its brick walls and
century-old wrought iron pillars that lead all the way to the food court,” she
said.

“We have worked
to preserve and restore the heritage elements of the original railway
station. It is a good example of
colonial architecture in the Philippines as the only train station with a
Spanish colonial style of domestic architecture, inspired by the two-storey
brick ancestral house,” Ranial explained. “Along the interiors of the Main
Station are more than century-old wrought iron columns with ornate pillar
caps.”

“Across Tutuban
Center is a monument to the Father of the Philippine Revolution, Andres
Bonifacio. This was made in commemoration of the town where he was born,” she
further said. “We also have twelve large canvas art works, which depict
highlights of this brave hero’s life in the East Loop of the mall. The National
Historical Commission of the Philippines was involved in ensuring the
authenticity of these scenes from Bonifacio’s life. We hope that even in a
small way, more visitors and shoppers can gain an appreciation of the history
behind this great shopping destination.”

The Main Station
features regular retail stores, service stores and food outlets, as well as
Robinsons Department Store and Supermarket. At the second level is the new food
court.

“The popular
Kikiam in Ilaya is now being offered in a food cart set-up in the food court,”
said Ranial. “We will soon have other popular Divisoria and Binondo food and
restaurant brands in our food court.”

Next to the Main Station is the Prime Block
which has stores offering wholesale products such as fabrics and textiles,
curtains, fashion, accessories, ribbons, mannequins and wigs, supplies for
salons and spas, tailor supplies, school supplies, toys, artificial flowers and
gardening needs among others. Prime Block retains the well-known Divisoria
bargain shopping style.

The building
improvements include upgraded exteriors and renovated interiors, repainting,
improved signage, installing about 5,600 LED lights, air-conditioning and the
restrooms. For services, enhancements include customer service booths, security
and housekeeping services.

“Visitors will
also notice better pedestrian and vehicular circulation throughout the development.
We have a new ticket booth and additional 150 parking slots in the Recto
parking area,” Ranial added.

“Tutuban Center
has introduced the new Prime Block Clusters on Level 3 of the Prime Block
building. Shoppers will find improved merchandise zoning in this area. For
Phase 1, we have 175 stalls with an approximate size of eleven square meters
per stall,” said Ranial.

Many of Tutuban Center’s 600 tenants are
long-time Divisoria merchants. One is Malou Salvador, who owns of Anding’s Toys
and Flowers, which her mother started as a stall at the market in Divisoria.
The store is more than forty years old.

“The Prime Block
Clusters is anchored by Anding’s Toys and Flowers, Inc., which occupies 317
square meters or about 18 stalls,” Ranial revealed. “Anding’s showcases a wide
array of products that go beyond toys and flowers. They have party favors,
costume accessories, party decor, garden decor, picket fences and hedges and so
much more, even Halloween items and Christmas decors. They have been in
business for more than twenty years, and majority of the big malls and other
establishments get their supplies from Anding’s.”

Additionally,
Tutuban Center hosts a night market, which comprises about 400 stalls, in its
open spaces.

Mall officials
said they will retain the mode that Divisoria is known for but will bring in
qualities Ayala malls are known for such as efficiency in service, security,
comfort, value for open spaces and polished architectural aesthetics.

“Tutuban Center
has built relationships over generations of shoppers and merchants. We know our
market and we are committed to providing the best experience for them and our
merchant partners,” Ranial said.

“Our vision is to
develop Tutuban Center into an organized and efficient wholesale and retail district
at the heart of Manila,” said Tomeldan, who also mentioned that redeveloping
Tutuban Center is both challenging and exciting.

She also said
that they are not planning on bringing in popular local and international
brands that are ubiquitous in malls.

“We want to
create jobs especially for small and medium enterprises and
micro-entrepreneurs. We want to develop and take a chance on young
entrepreneurs,” Tomeldan said. “We want people to come here feeling safe and
secure, knowing it’s a comfortable place.”

Prime Block Clusters

Prime Block Clusters

Aking's Toys and Flowers at the Prime Block Clusters

Profusion of Christmas decors at the Aking's Toys and Flowers at the Prime Block Clusters

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About Me

ROEL HOANG MANIPON
How do I begin? There's not much but then there's so much. But it must begin somewhere, so here it goes: I will begin with something "mundane" (but really not mundane; they're all cosmic to me. These are what I do, and thus a big part of what I am: a journalist, poet, fictionist, essayist, cultural researcher, travel writer, publication designer, sometime painter, amateur photographer, translator, strip dancer, masseur, model and a natural cook. Whoa! That sounds a lot. But really, not doing all at the same time, may two or three at the same time, but all them in me. And there are other things that I want to do or be, like being an astronaut, archaeologist, filmmaker, etc. I think one lifetime is not enough for me. Often I don't refer to them as simply jobs but passions. Oh, yeah, I'm forever a student too. Forever a boy.